Organic Chemistry: Relieving the Headache of a Challenging Chemical Science

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Organic Chemistry: Relieving the Headache of a Challenging Chemical Science, is designed to provide a brief, understandable overview of organic chemistry for those who may not have ever studied this subject, but need to understand the basics of organic chemistry for their professional work. Examples include consultants, attorneys, nonscience teachers, environmentalists, and citizens who may encounter organic chemical names and formulas in keeping up with news events and public affairs. Every effort is made to demystify this science without being overly simplistic.

The book is divided into 9 sections as follows: “To Relieve the Headache of Organic Chemistry,” reassures the reader that although organic chemistry is a vast, complex subject, the basics of it can be explained relatively simply. “Organic Chemistry and Organic Chemicals,” defines the discipline of organic chemistry and the nature of organic compounds. “Hydrocarbons,” covers those organic chemicals composed only of carbon and hydrogen including alkanes, alkenes, and aromatic hydrocarbons and is used to illustrate important aspects of the structures, formulas, and nomenclature of organic compounds. As its name implies, the section dealing with, “Using Lines to Show Structural Formulas” illustrates how simple groupings of lines and letters other than C and H can be used to represent the structural formulas of organic molecules. “Functional Groups,” discusses groupings of atoms including those other than C and H and how they determine the chemical characteristics of various organic compounds. “Heterocyclic Compounds and Heterocyclic Aromatic Compounds,” covers compounds composed of rings of carbon atoms that contain atoms of other elements as well, most commonly oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur, as part of the ring structure. “Giant Molecules from Small Organic Molecules,” is a discussion of polymers, such as polyethylene and nylon. “The Organic Chemicals and Organic Chemistry of Life,” deals with the major kinds and functions of chemical species made and processed by living organisms including carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids . “Biochemical Reactions and Enzymes,” discusses the chemical reactions that occur in living organisms and the enzyme catalysts that make them possible.